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Multiple media sources have Dan Duquette, formerly the GM of the Red Sox, as the choice to replace Andy MacPhail as our next president of baseball operations (GM). Is he the right guy?

Apparently Tony LaCava turned the job down because Peter Angelos would not give him the authority to make front office personnel changes he thought necessary. Will Duquette have to work with the same handicap?

Certainly he has solid experience in scouting and player development, and previous experience as a GM. Here is a brief overview of each critical area of responsibility:

Player Development

Duquette ran the Expo farm system back when they were one of the most productive in baseball. How much of this can be attributed to him is open to discussion as the quality of the prospects brought into the system as well as the quality and number of coaches and instructors working with those players have a lot to do with the final results.

Of course, Duquette chose or retained those coaches and instructors so you have to think he had a clue about doing things right. I believe this area will IMPROVE under Duquette.

International Signings

Duquette has experience in Latin America and Asia. This is an area that the Orioles have woefully neglected in the past. I believe this area will IMPROVE under Duquette.

Scouting

Scouting is done by a small army of dedicated and grossly underpaid professionals that have a lot more to do with the success of an organization than most fans understand. Duquette has experience here both domestic and international. He has also made some exceptional trades so he must actually listen to his scouts. The Orioles need to build a scouting network comparable to the Blue Jays. Let's hope Duquette will do that.

MacPhail presided over good drafts that could have been better if he would been allowed to invest more. I believe this area will IMPROVE under Duquette.

Player Trades

Duqette's record is very good. He acquired Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek for Heathcliffe Slocum as well as Pedro Martinez twice. That indicates he recognizes talent when he sees it or that he listens to his scouts. Regardless, he has improved his team with solid trades without giving up a lot in exchange.

This is the one area that most fans would have to give Andy MacPhail a solid grade in. His trades for Adam Jones, Luke Scott, Mark Reynolds, and JJ Hardy did not cost the team anything it couldn't afford to lose.

Free Agents

Duquette had a much bigger budget to work with in Boston. That may account for his ability to sign Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. Regardless, he chose players that could make a difference and got the deals done. Perhaps Duquette's reputation will give the Orioles enough additional credibility to add a Mark Buerlhe this winter.

Even with the budget limitations that MacPhail had to work with his signings did not go well. I believe this area will IMPROVE under Duquette.

Working With Peter Angelos

Sigh! This should not be an issue in predicting how successful a GM will be but it is in Baltimore. Andy MacPhail was able to get Angelos to modestly increase the draft budget and make a small investment in the off shore market. You would hope that Mr. Angelos would give Duquette broad authority to hire and fire as well as make the improvements and changes he sees fit; however, the LaCava debacle of just a week ago brings into question how much of a hindrance Peter Angelos will be.

Orioles' fans will have to hope that Dan Duquette was clear to Peter Angelos that he would have to trust Duqette to run the team as he saw fit during the contract negotiations, and Angelos agreed, or this could be another disappointing three year period.

Conclusion

This is a "no lose" proposition for Dan Duqette. If he is successful he'll be a genius. If he fails most of baseball will give him a pass because of Angelos. I believe he will improve the team if Angelos gives him a reasonable budget and gets out of his way.

I'm very excited about this announcement. I think he is a better fit than LaCava and that LaCava turning us down may have been a blessing in disguise. I'm really looking forward to this off season and I think by 2013 we will be serious contenders.

I'm not too crazy about it. Seems like if you're hiring someone who's been out of baseball for 10 years after getting turned down by two up-and-comers who had the audacity to assume they'd be able to select who worked for them, you're hiring someone who's intimately aware of who signs his paycheck.

My outlook for the future of the organization was already pretty bleak, so I'm not too distraught. But I can't say I'm even remotely excited about this signing. Would have greatly preferred virtually every name that was mentioned or rumored as part of our search, especially DiPoto or Lacava.

While I would have preferred Dipoto or Lacava, Duquette is not a bad choice. I really feel he is going to overhaul the player development system and I am sure these changes will be apparent when I visit next year's spring training.

The coaches will be giving more instruction; normally they are there more just as guides, and give little knowledge to all of the players. They tends to choose favorites and talk to specific players. I feel that Duquette will really ensure that coaches step up to the next level.

For me it is how committed he is to turning the entire organization into a Pitching rich, fundamental and defense priorty machine...Just like we did in the 60s, 70s and early 80s when we constantly won....That means demanding it from everyone at every level.... scouts, coaches, managers and directors...That means purging the roster and the minors of people that dont fit this crede...This means expanding our searches at every possible avenue....I thought AM did a pretty good job on the pitching being a priority but failed miserably in the other two parts in every way...It should be easy...we were the model of the right way and its the only way we will compete year in and year out with the the yanks and sox...Do we believe he is close to this?

The more I read different articles about Duquette the happier with the selection I get. It seems like he understands you need to start off by building up the farm system. Once you build up the farm system you can call up players to help the big league club or you can trade players to help the big league club, either way they are there to help the big league club. One of the things I really could not stand about AM was that he seemed to only want to call up players from the minors instead of dealing them.

Duquette seems to understand that you wait until the right time to spend money in the FA. Not to say the O's won't sign any guys this off season but I don't see them making any big splashes until this team is ready. Hopefully, the days of signing guys like Vlad to 8M for 1 year and overpaying for relievers are over.

The most exciting thing IMO is that Duquette has a history of signing great international talent. The O's do have some international talent in the minor leagues (Schoop, pitchers on the GCL, etc.) but I think Duquette will do a much better job than AM and his completely asinine philosophy of not spending big on international prospects.

I'll second the sentiment that I'm increasingly optimistic as I hear Duquette talk about the direction of the organization. Whether or not he was my first choice, he's the man in charge at this point, and he said all the things I want to hear a GM of the Orioles say.

There is only one direction to go. I'm affraid that turning around the farm system could take years. After 14 seasons my patience has worn out. I want a winner sooner than later. I also know that the Orioles will NOT go out and get any top tier free agents. If we can't contend, Camden will remain empty.Good Luck Dan.

A_K wrote:I'll second the sentiment that I'm increasingly optimistic as I hear Duquette talk about the direction of the organization. Whether or not he was my first choice, he's the man in charge at this point, and he said all the things I want to hear a GM of the Orioles say.

Yup. Seemed to know what it takes to compete in EAST and I think he begins to follow Rays model.